Bolt’s Post

Day 3 of our paid work experience with UK Youth: Today, we had the pleasure of hosting Dom and Zak from Bullhorn, who shared their journeys from childhood to sales management 👏. Our participants were engaged, asking loads of questions and showing great interest 🤔💬. Dom and Zak also discussed early talent opportunities at Bullhorn and what they look for in new hires 🎓. They encouraged everyone to connect with them on LinkedIn and promised to share upcoming job opportunities 💼. A great question was raised about diversity at Bullhorn, and Dom and Zak’s response was inspiring. As a London-based company 🌍, they’re committed to ensuring their workforce reflects the city’s diversity 🌈, with employees growing from entry-level roles to leadership 🚀. It’s a commitment to diversity that, unfortunately, many other organisations can’t match. Looking forward, Dom and Zak are keen to host another session, possibly at their offices 🏢, to see our team in action and offer further guidance. Today’s session highlighted why Bullhorn is a leader in their industry—they do things differently from most companies 💪. If you’d like to be like Bullhorn and get involved, send me a DM! #UKYouth #Bullhorn #Careers #Diversity #Opportunities

Many companies worry that they lack capacity to support fair chance hires’ complex needs. There can be uncertainty around how to undertake traditional onboarding, training, and professional development alongside the process of reentering society. That's why leveraging the power of partnership is crucial. Employers can join forces with community-based organizations like Cara, to ensure the success of fair chance hires. #FairChanceMonth #PowerofPartnership

Summer of 2023 was a turning point for me at Bolt. I really wanted to elevate my career and stay with Bolt, so I applied for a senior position. I got offered a secondment instead and honestly, this turned out to be the best possible outcome, eventually leading to a permanent position within the same team 🤓 Why consider secondments or internships? They are ideal if you’re looking for a change but are unsure about the right fit or whether you want to switch roles. It’s a low-stress opportunity for experimenting with your career, learning new skills and discovering more about yourself. A few reflections from my experience: 1️⃣ I discovered the environment where I thrive best and gained clarity on which way I should head in my career.  2️⃣ Opened my heart to a change and found the bravery to leap beyond what’s comfortable.  3️⃣ Grateful to my original team for having my back and taking on extra work while I stepped up. I also noticed that my leaving created opportunities for my fellow team members and reports. 4️⃣ And to my new team, thank you for welcoming me with open arms, even though you were looking for someone more experienced. Your support not only helped me learn both hard and soft skills but also allowed me to grow beyond what I thought possible. So, if you’ve been thinking about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and taking action, I’m here to encourage you! Don’t ever wait for something amazing to happen out of the blue. By the way, sharing this with the entire internet, with my hands shaking as I press the “post” button, is another challenge accepted. Kadi Poll is piloting a project called Employee Advocacy at Bolt, so you might see me putting myself out there a lot more! #bolt #careergrowth

I am looking forward to speaking on "The Urgency of Employee Retention" in January at CiderCon® 2024 (a conference put on by American Cider Association, an internship company partner of The Script (formerly Emerging Leaders)). CiderCon® is the premier cider conference for industry professionals. It is an opportunity to learn, share, taste and network. Here is more about my presentation: Recruiting diverse talent is critical. However, retaining employees is even more important to the sustainability of your organization. In this presentation, we take a dive into employee recruitment and retention to discover what is effective and ineffective in your current approach. I will breakdown recruitment and retention efforts to look at the critical elements needed, share lessons learned from managing a successful workforce development initiative, discuss potential pitfalls that can come up and highlight what success looks like for both employees and employers. You will leave the presentation with a renewed understanding of what is needed as you think about creating or enhancing your recruitment and retention approach. For more insight about the American Cider Association (ACA): The ACA is an organization of cider and perry producers in the United States. Their mission is to grow a diverse and successful U.S. cider industry by providing valuable information, resources and services to their members and by advocating on their behalf. (cc:The Contingent; Michelle McGrath; Devon Hevener) #speaker #cidercon #conference

Future leaders in action! Check out these highlights from our Explore Lenoir Summer Camp where young minds had a blast exploring their potential career paths over the past two weeks!

Is your legacy for you, or for others? I believe in the transformative power of opportunity. But not as a selfish endeavour - it's not just about seizing it for ourselves, but about extending a hand to others and ensuring that everyone has a chance to thrive. For us at Broll Property Group (Pty) Ltd, this commitment starts from within. At the heart of our organisational culture, we prioritise the well-being and growth of our Brollie Team, recognising that their success is ours and visa versa. By fostering a supportive and nurturing environment, we empower our team members to reach their full potential and achieve their career aspirations. But our dedication to opening doors of opportunity doesn't stop there. We understand the importance of investing in the next generation, which is why we offer internships and mentorship programs for young talent. These initiatives not only provide valuable experience and skills development but also pave the way for future leaders in the industry. Beyond our own walls, the Broll Foundation plays a pivotal role in 'opening closed doors' for community individuals. Through various outreach programs and initiatives, we strive to create routes to success for those who may have faced barriers in the past. Whether it's through education, skills training, or job opportunities, we're committed to making a positive impact in the communities we serve. Both the inward and outward creation of opportunity feeds back into the world in which we all live and work. A better world for Broll to operate in, and a better world for our friends and family to live in. Everyone wins. Sadly, we see too much of the opposite in our country – where opportunity is for the individual only, and not for the benefit of the individual. It’s up to leaders and organisations like us to set a new tone, and create meaningful, life-changing opportunities. Let's remember the power we hold to open the doors of opportunity for others. Are you with me? #Opportunity #BrollFoundation #CommunityImpact #ProgressivePropertyPeople #CEOInsights #ForGood #Change #Legacy #TrustTheProcess #EmbraceTheJourney #UnleashYourPotential #ProgressivePropertyPeople

Something a bit different today! A day in London taking part in a Jobshare Hackathon. 40+ inspiring people, brought together by Tiger de Souza MBE to explore barriers and co-create strategies to make jobsharing mainstream. Co-leading C Space as Joint MD for 4 years with Felix was a game-changer for me personally and professionally. Since we both worked fulltime in the same position, I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about what we did as a ‘jobshare’ in the traditional sense (something borne out of a need for flexibility), but rather a complementary skillet which offered many of the personal and organizational benefits of job-sharing. It was good to have that belief challenged today. A takeaway for me from today’s workshop is that we need to remember that job-sharing can take many forms. It’s not just about flexible working. We must better communicate the potential upside to teams and organizations, as well as the people taking on the role. Excited to see how this conversation and thinking moves to action over the coming months.

Every July 25th is National Hire A Veteran Day Since today happens to be the last Thursday of this month, it’s also National Intern Day. Here’s what that captures . . . A competitive modern workplace represents multiple generations Purposefully hiring and training veterans should not be an afterthought Actively developing an up & coming workforce is wise Teams that are diverse across multiple backgrounds are stronger and more resilient Where individuals are valued and poured into, collective teams thrive Old ways of viewing and engaging both of these groups should be refreshed Leaders willing to cultivate new pools of talent will have the advantage #TeamDevelopment #MultiGenerationalWorkplace #TeamBuilding

I was speaking to a transitioning veteran this evening about the manufacturing space. The pros The cons Me: "I have to cut this a little short, I have to head into work tonight." Him: "I hate to ask, but why?" I explained that we do quarterly Town Halls and this week we are discussing some policy changes and doing some safety messaging and reinforcement, and most importantly fielding questions from the team. Him: "But why tonigh...OH, night shift." Me: "Absolutely." He asked how I dealt with it. 🤔 It isn't really a big ol' hairy deal for me really. The Army prepped me pretty well for this. And it's only every so often. So my work/life balance is proper for me. Then he asked about my 'normal' hours. Me: "6-6:30A into the office to catch the tail end of the night shift. Work through the start of 2nd shift usually until around 4-5P. Catch up a little at night at times at home on emails, etc. It just depends." I do this to get as much shift coverage as I can, to improve accessibility as much as I can, to increase visibility as much as I can. 'Seasons' in HR can cause lulls and ramp ups of course---open enrollment, policy roll-outs, seasonal peaks for customers, internship/co-op recruiting and onboarding, community events, outreach across the 'off-shifts', etc. So the weird hours happen from time-to-time. Him: "I don't know if manufacturing is for me." Me: "Glad I could help." Me, our EHS Manager, and our Plant Manager of course are here tonight. 3rd iteration of Town Halls, and a couple more tomorrow. It's good to get feedback...communicate important topics (NOTHING is more important than safety, closely followed by quality to our customers IMO while taking care of our team). I'm just as happy talking someone OUT of a function or industry as talking them INTO the function or industry. With as much experience-based evidence as I can provide. It's not selling for me. It's just story-telling and listening in return.

What a brilliant employment week! The idea behind employment week is for our 16+ members to enter a variety of workplace settings to explore different employability routes they might want to take. During the week our members have a chance to ask questions, experience a workplace setting and understand what a working day might feel like. If you are part of a business or know a business that would like to get involved in future employment weeks please drop me a message. #employment #employmentweek #downsyndrome